


Half Measures

by orphan_account



Category: Fullmetal Alchemist, Fullmetal Alchemist: Brotherhood & Manga
Genre: Established Relationship, F/F, Letters, Post-Canon, Prompt Fic
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2014-03-31
Updated: 2014-03-31
Packaged: 2018-01-17 15:33:35
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 562
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/1392916
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/orphan_account/pseuds/orphan_account
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>A collection of letters between the Emperor's head of guard and the Pantheress of Rush Valley, concerning the heir presumptive of Xing.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Half Measures

**Author's Note:**

> Written for the prompt: "Lan Fan talks about meifan with her bff Winry-chan."
> 
> I'm not up to full speed yet. Not running at full throttle. But getting there.
> 
> Unbeta'd/unedited/etc.

_In fact_ , Lan Fan wrote, _the only trouble with dating a princess is that she has to spend half of her time with her people and only half of her time in Xijing. Of course I appreciate her dedication to the Chang, but since I cannot leave my post of guarding the Emperor, it makes for a difficult proposition._ Almost as an afterthought she included: _I need some more of that automail lubricant. Of course Xingese is lubricant is of far better quality, but I’ve been doing some mixing to achieve an even better blend of the two, and I need more of yours to test. Just let me know the payment details._

Winry replied back with a massive envelope filled to the brim with automail care supplies and a note declaring the package a sample, entirely free-of-charge, _much to Ed’s distaste. He claims that I should definitely be charging_ you _if I overcharged him all of these years. But you know Ed._ In the middle of the chaotic mess of automail, Winry had placed a small envelope with the answer to the question that Lan Fan had actually asked—the question beyond the typical excuse of requiring automail parts. _And I’m sure that you two will settle down eventually. Doesn’t Ling—oops, the Emperor, excuse me—intend to make her Empress some day?_

Lan Fan responded with a thank-you note and a box of Xingese candy as a symbol of her gratitude. _He does intend to salvage Xing, ensure that the nobles have no power to wage war against her, and then quit to live free. She’ll be a wonderful Empress. But since she’s of one of the lowest Clans in the original hierarchy, she would have come under fire for all of her actions. The Emperor feared civil war. And so he realised that he needs to be the one to alter the basic fabric of the country. She’ll become Empress some day. But for now I see her only six months of the year. I know that I shouldn’t complain. It’s a miracle that she loves me at all. She deserves far better than a vassal with an automail arm and a nightmarish memory._ The second half of the letter in its entirety went on and on of the wonders of Xingese and Amestrisian automail lubricant, as if the emotional aspect of her relationships held no water whatsoever.

But Winry knew her better than that. Knew that said emotional aspect held more than water—held the entire ocean, squeezed into a heart the size of Lan Fan’s fist. Of course her heart hurt for the sheer magnitude of the love she felt, for May, for Ling, for the people of Xing, for the recipient of all of these letters. _You’re more than just a vassal with an automail arm, Lan Fan! You deserve so much more than you have. You’re one of the most incredible people I’ve ever met!_

No response for a time. At last an answer arrived, and Winry ripped into the envelope with an eagerness that broke through the seal marked with the phoenix of the Yao.

_Thank you, Winry. I needed that._

Winry smiled to herself, almost laughing, and read on:

_Also, my letter rate might drop significantly. My princess is back in Xijing, and I intend to spend whatever time I have with her._


End file.
